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When we discuss innovation, we often immediately think of the internet and what we can now do online. Facebook and especially Edmodo, which creates a safe online environment for teachers, students and parents to connect, are popular with teachers.

Cloud-based tools like Google Docs have also become indispensable. For teacher Tyson Seburn, it’s 'where I've moved so much of individual and (because of its functionality) collaborative writing with students...'

The list of digital platforms is extensive and growing all the time. A multimedia manual like Digital Video by Nik Peachey (nominated for an ELTons award for innovations in teacher resources) can help teachers navigate the complicated, and sometimes overwhelming, world of digital resources, enabling teachers to create activities, lessons and courses from a range of digital tools.

2. Online corpora

The use of corpora – large text collections used for studying linguistic structures, frequencies, etc. – used to be the privilege of lexicographers. But with most corpora now available online, and quite a few for free, teachers now have access to information about the way language is used in authentic texts and speech.

Teachers no longer have to panic when students ask them about the difference between ‘trouble’ and ‘problem’. And it's not just teachers who benefit. To find out if more people say ‘sleepwalked’ or ‘sleptwalk’ (for example), students can simply search the words on Google, which uses the internet as its corpus.

3. Online CPD (continuous professional development) and the global staffroom

The advent of the internet and the growth of social media have certainly allowed teachers of English from all over the world to form online communities that act like a huge global staffroom. Twitter and ELT blogging, for example, have 'opened up a network of people who can offer advice, support and ideas’, says Sandy Millin. Participants who are generous with their time, ideas, and contacts find they receive much in return.

4. Mobile learning and BYOD (bring your own device)

The development of mobile technology and the proliferation of smart phones have enabled many of us to access the internet and a huge variety of apps on the go. Learners benefit too, from apps like WIBBU, and podcasts like Luke’s English Podcast – Learn British English with Luke Thompson – nominated for an ELTons award in the category of digital innovation.

Teachers are also able to build on their teaching knowledge and skills by listening to podcasts like The TEFL Commute or join 50,000 teachers from more than 200 countries and watch webinars or archived videos of talks by TEFL teachers on EFL Talks. Both are nominated for an ELTons for innovation in teacher resources.

And if teachers and students are gaining so much from their mobile devices, why ban them from classrooms? It seems that getting students to bring their own devices to class is fast becoming a game-changer in ELT practice.

For teacher Ceri Jones, tools like WhatsApp and Padlet help build channels of communication beyond the classroom. She says: 'I often don’t have the hardware or the connectivity in teen classes to use internet, so students using their own devices is great – and it means they have a record of the resources we've used to check back on after class...'

5. Communicating with people online

The ability to communicate online with people outside the classroom via Skype and similar tools has enabled students to meet and interact with others in English. In monolingual classes (i.e., most English classrooms around the world), this could give much-needed motivation to students who otherwise might not have the opportunity to interact with anyone in English.

And as for teachers, the ability to converse with students face-to-face online has opened up a whole new market for Skype lessons and online classes.

6. Online authentic materials

One of the biggest benefits of the internet for language learners is the sudden widespread availability of authentic resources. As David Deubelbeiss points out, this enables teachers to use 'content with messages students want to hear'. We can now access the daily news, watch trending videos on YouTube, read the latest tips on TripAdvisor… the possibilities are endless.

But with so much content available to us, choosing the right online materials is crucial for efficient and effective learning. Keynote by National Geographic Learning, makes use of TED talks to develop a pedagogically sound approach to language learning, while Language Learning with Digital Video (Cambridge University Press) looks at how teachers can use online documentaries and YouTube videos to create effective lessons. Both resources are nominated for this year's ELTons awards.

7. The IWB (interactive white board)

The IWB started appearing in classrooms in the early parts of this century and has now become a staple of many classrooms in Britain and around the world. It allows us to save and print notes written on the board, control the classroom computer from the whiteboard, play listening activities on the sound system, use the screen as a slide for presentations, access the internet, and so on. The possibilities seem endless.

But the addition of an IWB to a classroom does not automatically make for a better learning experience. Indeed, unless teachers use them skilfully to complement teaching and learning, they are little more than a distraction.

As teacher David Dodgson explains, some people 'love the shiny stuff', believing that simply standing in front of an IWB is effective integration of education technology. It's not.

8. Dogme (or materials-light teaching)

For teachers like Matthew Noble, discovering the Dogme approach to language teaching was 'galvanising'. A communicative approach that eschews published textbooks in favour of conversational communication between learners and teacher, Dogme signals a departure from a one-size-fits-all approach to classroom materials.

For many teachers, this 'unplugged' approach represents a new way of looking at the lesson content, and the chance to break free from self-contained language points and give more time to student-generated language.

9. Students steering their own learning

Over the last couple of decades, learning has gradually been moving from a teacher-centred top-down approach to a student-centred, bottom-up one. The trend has accelerated rapidly in recent years with the growing quantity and quality of information on the internet. In many respects, this has changed the teacher's role from that of knowledge-transmitter to consultant, guide, coach, and/or facilitator.

One example is the 'negotiated syllabus', previously the domain of the business English teacher, who would conduct a needs analysis before tailoring a course to suit the participants. But we've come to recognise that there is nothing general about the general English learner either, and increasingly, teachers involve students in decisions about what to do in the classroom.

The ELTons-nominated Connections E-textbook (a project by Zayed University in the UAE) takes this a step further and involves the students in the design of their e-textbook, allowing them to make decisions on page layout and the clarity of task instructions.

10. Teaching soft skills and critical thinking skills

As English cements its position as the world’s lingua franca, many of our students are now learning English to oil the wheels of communication in the worlds of business, trade, education, and tourism. To enable our students to become better communicators, we should perhaps go beyond grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, and look at helping them communicate effectively in international settings.

Learner resources nominated for an ELTons award this year include Richmond Business Theories (Richmond ELT), which features online resources that help teachers and students with soft skills like problem-solving, presentation skills, time management and decision-making. Academic Presenting and Presentations (Levrai and Bolster) looks specifically at the communication skills needed when making a presentation at college or university.

Another ELTons nominee is The Thinking Train (Helbling Languages), which believes in starting young. It helps children develop critical thinking skills that could support them not just in their English learning but in the learning of other subjects and life skills.

And perhaps it is this ability to think and reflect that will enable us as teachers and learners to take any innovation out there and make it work in our context for our students. After all, as a wise teacher of mine used to say, 'It’s never the tool, but the user that makes the difference.'

To succeed in your English learning, you need to read and listen to as much English language as possible. However, it's crucial to make sure the topics are ones that interest you. Get into the habit of watching TV shows or movies, listening to songs and radio shows, and reading books and magazines in English. The English language is truly global and the opportunities to read or listen to it are endless.

Tip: YouTube is a free and seemingly infinite resource of English language videos. A good place to start is with the British Council's YouTube channel (remember, you can listen with the captions turned on). Personally, I love to watch Jamie Oliver's YouTube channel, as it inspires me to try out some new recipes!

What habits help you learn English effectively? Share your ideas in the comments below

When in class, try to participate as much as possible. Be determined to use the language and grammar your teacher has presented. Making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process, so don't let that stop you.

Be active rather than passive: find out from your teacher what your strengths and weaknesses are; ask your classmates what they think of your pronunciation; set up an English-speaking club with other students, so you can practise speaking after class. By being active and taking control of your own learning, you will soon start to see results.

Tip: There are many language apps available to help you connect with speakers of English, but the best one by far, in my opinion, is HelloTalk. This app will help you use your language skills outside the classroom.

To successfully learn new vocabulary and grammar, you need to review your lesson or self-study notes regularly. Go through the notes you took in a particular lesson and try memorising some or all of the important language or grammar points (remember, set yourself realistic goals). Then, writing on a blank piece of paper, see how much you can recall. Repeat the process until you've memorised all the things you set yourself at the beginning of the task.

Tip: Some learners benefit from creating flashcards that you can store on a smart phone. Quizlet is one such app. There is also GoConqr, which can help you bring all your lessons together in one place. You can even create vocabulary mind maps from your lessons! With so many tools to help you online, find out which ones work for you.

When studying a language, it's essential to keep vocabulary notes from lessons. As language lessons are often based on a particular theme (e.g., shopping, music, family), it's a good idea to organise vocabulary by topic. Experiment with different ways of recording vocabulary, including word cards, mind maps, and tables, and see what works best for you. You should also make a note of the different forms, uses and pronunciation of particular words (make sure you have a good learner's dictionary).

Tip: Try using your mobile phone to record vocabulary from your lessons. Or why not create an online poster using Glogster to upload new language, videos or images from the class (such as the teacher's whiteboard notes). Try it out.

Learning English, or any language, can be a challenging but rewarding experience. To make progress, you need to put in a lot of dedication and effort, but you also need to develop the right habits. Here are five habits that have helped my students achieve their aims.

1. Plan your learning and set realistic goals

The decision to study English, or return to the English language classroom after a long break, can be quite overwhelming. Try to plan your studies with a weekly timetable and dedicate one day for self-study, including time to review your lessons. Planning your learning day by day or week by week can be rewarding, and will make it easier to measure your progress. This is especially true if you set realistic goals. For example, you might aim to learn five new linking expressions next week (realistic) rather than master academic writing (extremely unrealistic).

Tip: A wonderful app that I have used for studying is My Study Life. It helps with organising your routine for study; you can even use it to plan other things in your day.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored with a bicycle kick which was outrageous even by his standards to lead Real Madrid to an emphatic 3-0 win away to Juventus in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg on Tuesday. and no doubt it was awesome.

Try a jigsaw approach.No, we’re not talking about puzzles or scary movies. If you’re introducing new, difficult content, divide the class into groups and ask each group to master only one portion of it at a time. If, for example, you’re teaching the American Revolution, have one group focus on the Continental Congress, one on Washington’s Army, one on French support for the war, and so on.

Ask them to do a reading on their topic – to become the class “experts” on that subject. Then split up the class into new groups that include one “expert” on each topic. Ask these new groups to work together to write an essay or complete a worksheet that requires information about all the topics. They will teach each other in the process. Learn more about the Jigsaw Approach.

Allow them to work together.We can’t do this all the time; individual students need to be assessed. Ask yourself: is the goal of this activity for them to learn the content, or for them to be assessed? If you want them to learn the content, why not let them work together? When they bring in their homework, do a quick survey for completeness, then put them in pairs and let them review the homework together. Encourage them to make changes if their partner’s answer looks right. When they’ve finished, review as a class. Students may be less embarrassed to share a group’s answer than their own and you may be able to complete the review more quickly.

Allow anonymous questions.Put out a “question box” where students can submit questions any time. Give each student an index card and ask them to write something about the reading assignment they did for homework. If they don’t have a question, instruct them to write a comment on the reading. Collect the cards and use them to lead a class discussion. You’ll easily recognize what parts of the reading confused a lot of students and they won’t feel embarrassed.

Let them teach each other.Especially good when reviewing before a test: divide the class into groups and give each group a topic. Set some guidelines and then let them teach each other. Encourage them to do interesting activities – write tests for each other, design review games, etc. – and evaluate each group on the accuracy of their content, the creativity of their approach, and how well they work together as a team. This is also a great way to discover how to motivate students.

Try skills grouping.Divide the class into groups based on what skills they need to practice – not forever, but for a class period or two, so they can focus on what they really need help with. So have a group that works on multiplying fractions, one on dividing fractions, and one on converting fractions to decimals. Make a group of “already got 100% on the test” kids and give them an extra credit activity or let them preview the next lesson. Then take time to move between the other groups and help them review. You’ll have more students engaged in the lesson and they’ll get specific, focused practice time.